Diary of Jane
by WitchwithKids
Summary: Follow the events of the Mass Effect series through the eyes of engineer Jane Shepard, sister to Commander John Shepard, and Garrus Vakarian, John's best friend and comrade. How they come together, how they're torn apart, and how they help stop the Reapers from destroying the universe. Follow their journey, from the Normandy to the Citadel, and beyond.
1. Luna

**Chapter One: Luna**

Garrus Vakarian stared at the gray mush in his bowl, listening to the buzz of conversation around him. After two days of the Normandy's dextro-rations, he was starting to wish he had raided his own pantry before coming aboard. The aromas coming from the galley made his mouth water, but he knew that risking an allergic reaction was a bad idea when he was hours away from his first mission with Shepard.

He couldn't decide which turned his stomach more: the gruel on the table in front of him, or the fact that John Shepard was still subject to the whims of the Alliance. The human was a Council Spectre now, and his priority should be apprehending Saren, not taking care of a rogue VI on Earth's moon. It was a small consolation that the commander had selected Garrus and Tali to accompany him, the only two crew members on board with both tech **and** combat experience. But it certainly hadn't won either of them any favors from the humans on board.

About half of the Alliance crew had accepted the non-humans, and a few had gone out of their way to make sure they felt welcome. Garrus had made fast friends with Dr. Chokwas, and Adams in engineering practically gushed over Tali. But Pressley and Williams were going to be a hard sell. They had been the most outspoken amongst the humans on board, and not even Shepard's words could convince them that the "aliens" belonged on the Normandy as much as they did. Humans, Garrus decided, were just as stubborn and suspicious by nature as turians.

He chuckled and shoveled a spoonful of mush into his mouth, trying not to taste it before it slid down his throat. Across the table, Tali looked up at him, but with that damned mask on her face Garrus couldn't tell if it was curiosity, worry, or something else entirely. She was sipping at a liquidized version of his own breakfast, and he felt a twinge of guilt at his distaste for the bland rations. Quarians drank the same crap every day. At least his own race had the opportunity for variety in their cuisine.

"Joker says our ETA is two hours. Then it's about an hour to the base in the Mako from the LZ," Tali mentioned while he choked down a few more bites.

"What about the Alliance tech team?" Garrus was certain that he wasn't really supposed to know about that, but the humans had underestimated his superior sense of hearing. He knew there was a specialty crew being sent to restructure the VI once the Normandy team shut it down, but they were limited to scientists and mechanics. Not a single warrior among them.

"Word gets around fast," Tali replied with a chuckle. "They're on their way. ETA four hours now, I think. Joker won't shut up about it, actually. Says an old friend from the Academy is with them and he wants to catch up."

"Getting a little chummy with the pilot?" teased Garrus, raising a brow ridge and twitching his mandibles in a turian equivalent of a smirk.

"Goodness, no!" she defended. "But I have a great deal of respect for him. He loves the Normandy. He **knows** her. He's always in contact with Adams and I about how she's running and what we can tweak to make her better."

"The best pilot for the best ship in the fleet," said a voice coming up from behind him. Garrus didn't need to turn around to know it was Shepard. "Are we ready for the mission?" he asked, pulling a chair to the end of the table to sit between Tali and Garrus.

"Absolutely," Garrus replied, masking his earlier doubts. He truly was looking forward to working with the commander, even if it was taking care of an Alliance problem.

"Good to hear it. I hate having to drag you guys along for this, but you're the best suited, and Hackett didn't say anything about who I should bring with me to help." Shepard winked conspiratorially, obviously amused that he would be taking alien crew members to Luna. It was his boundary pushing and forward thinking that had gotten the commander into the position he was in at such a young age, and it was effective even if he did tend to step on some toes further up the hierarchy. Unconventional, yes, but it got results and drew people to his side.

"We're happy to help," replied Tali.

"Good to hear. I'll see you both suited up and ready to go in a couple of hours." Shepard stood and nodded at them both before taking his leave.

X

Four hours later, Garrus was both cursing and marveling at the VI's defense system. His armor was score-marked from half a dozen hits from the drone's lasers and smoke clouded the room in the third and final bunker. But he had to admit, whomever had written the programming had done an excellent job at deterring all but the most determined strike team. Which, Garrus thought with a touch of pride, he happened to be a part of. The Alliance most certainly wasn't going to be happy about having to replace nearly all of their equipment, but it was better than the alternative.

"Commander?" Joker asked, patching through the comm link. "The Whedon has just arrived."

"Tell them it's safe to land, but I don't want them in the bunkers until we take care of this last batch of generators."

And sure enough, as if the VI knew that it had reached the end of its rebellion, extra drones were dispatched just as their party reached the final room. They were easy enough to take out, but Spirits there were just so damn many of them. The trio had tried to overload the circuits of as many as they could to save replacing them entirely, but there was still a mess of metal and wire on the floor around them from where they'd had to save their omnitools from burning out in the process.

"All clear, Joker," Shepard said as they walked through the scrap. "Bring the Normandy down so we can load up the Mako and head out."

"Aye, aye, Commander."

When they stepped back out into Luna's atmosphere, Garrus could see two ships on the far side of the barren field, just sky of a klik away from their current position. The Normandy was easily distinguishable, but there was something odd about the smaller craft next to it. It was an older model, probably pre-dating the First Contact War, but nothing like any of the Alliance ships he had seen before. Fortunately, Garrus didn't need to say anything. Tali's endless pool of curiosity took care of that for him.

"What sort of ship is that, exactly?" she asked as they loaded up in the Mako.

"A prototype," Shepard replied. "Or, at least, it started that way. The Alliance R&amp;D teams developed their own unique fleet based off spacecraft from old movies. This one here is the Whedon. They have two others: the Lucas and the Roddenberry. If you want the back-story, you'll have to ask Engineer Adams."

"I'll be sure to do that. Thanks, Shepard."

"Don't thank me yet. He may sit you down and force you to watch every _Star Trek_ episode and film made in the past 200 years," he replied with a chuckle.

As they approached the Normandy, they could see a pair of soldiers loading a crate into the cargo bay. Shepard slowed the Mako to allow them time to finish their work, but it was clear as the vehicle pulled in that the box, along with the two identical ones next to it, was to be taken to the Citadel. The Commander narrowed his eyes at the sight and hastily parked the Mako before climbing out to find out what his ship was being used for **this** time.

"Joker, would you mind telling the captain of the Whedon that this is a warship and not a cargo ship?" No answer, and anger began to radiate from Shepard. "Joker, this isn't funny," he said, reaching for his weapon.

"Put the gun away, Johnny," came a new voice through their comm. Shepard was openly surprised, his wide-eyed expression evident even through his helmet visor. When he turned his head towards the elevator, Garrus glanced in the same direction. Leaning against one of the support beams, clad in the lightweight black and silver space suit associated with Alliance engineers, was a young woman he had never seen before. But it was clear from the shocked expression on the commander's face that he **did** know this stranger, and her appearance on the Normandy was an unexpected one.

The woman glanced at the men who had brought the cargo on board and nodded at them to leave. As they did so, Garrus took a moment to scrutinize the newcomer. The stripes on her light armor were similar in style to Shepard's, and sure enough, there was an I-7 insignia on her right shoulder, a dead giveaway that she was just as specialized in her field as the commander was in his.

Behind them all, the cargo door hissed as it came to a close and precious oxygen rushed back into the bay. Since Shepard seemed to still be in shock, the woman sauntered towards them, removing her helmet. When she did, it was evident to Garrus why the commander was left speechless at her appearance on the Normandy. Her hair was dark, like his, but with a touch more red than brown, and she shared the same shockingly green eyes that the female crew members never shut up about. She was tall for a human female, perhaps only a few centimeters shorter than John, and wore the utility belt at her waist as casually as he wore his side-arm.

By the time she reached them, John had snapped out of his stunned silence and taken off his own helmet. Garrus and Tali did the same as the woman stood in salute to the commander, a mischievous glint in her eyes betraying the necessary formality. Shepard returned the gesture, a smile finally playing at the corner of his lips.

"Lieutenant-Commander," he said. "It's a pleasant surprise to have you on board. It's been…too long."

"Two years," she replied, sparing a glance for Garrus and Tali. "I see you've finally joined the 22nd century and added some new faces to your crew."

"Ah, yes," said Shepard, clearing his throat and turning his attention towards his squad mates. "This is Tali'Zorah vas Neema and Garrus Vakarian. Guys, this is Lieutenant-Commander Jane Shepard."

"Shepard?" Tali asked as Jane took her hand in greeting. "You two are related?"

"Shh," the human woman teased. "John doesn't want everyone to know that he's not Mother's favorite anymore."

"Oh, I got that title back a few days ago. First human Spectre, remember?"

Her attention shifted from Tali to Garrus, but the banter between the two Shepards flowed seamlessly. "Helped design the Normandy, remember?" she joked, slipping her hand into the turian's before Garrus even realized he had been holding it out. Some habits never died.

"Ahh, sibling rivalry," he said, earning a warm smile from Jane. "It almost makes me homesick."

"Fifty points to the turian!" Joker's voice pierced through the comm. "Now get your ass up to the cockpit, LC. Big Brother's not the only one who hasn't seen you in a few years."

"I still outrank you, Morou."

"Yeah, yeah. Technicalities."

The younger Shepard spared a brief wink for her brother before turning her attention back to Garrus. Her grin didn't fade, but the light in her eyes dimmed for the barest of moments as she studied his face. Jane skimmed over his markings, and gave him a brief nod before releasing his hand. Before she turned away, he saw a hint of something he'd never seen another human express in the presence of a turian.

Recognition.

***Disclaimer* Bioware owns "Mass Effect." **

**Welcome to "The Diary of Jane." This is my fifth venture into Mass Effect fanfic territory, and will be different from my first story, "El Tigre" in most ways except the obvious "little sister" twist. It will be exclusively from the point of view of both Garrus Vakarian and Jane Shepard. I will encompass plot-lines from all three of the games, along with most of the DLC elements and comics, but there will definitely be some AU twists thrown in. Settle in &amp; prepare for the long-haul. We've got a lot of space to cover. :-)**


	2. The Passenger

**Chapter Two: The Passenger**

Jane Shepard did her best to conceal her surprise as she walked away from Garrus Vakarian. Having spent two years in the company of turians while working on designs for the Normandy, she had studied as much as she could about their history, lineages and language. If the blue hadn't given it away, the clan markings certainly had. Bloody hell, did John have any clue just **who** he had taken on as part of his crew?

"So, you helped design the ship?" asked the quarian, Tali'Zorah, breaking Jane from her musings as they entered the elevator.

"Design, yes. Build, no," she replied. "This is the first time I've seen her since the final blueprints were drawn up."

"So what brings you to the Normandy? I didn't hear anything about Adams being replaced."

"He's not. In fact, I requested him specifically for his position. I'm just along for the ride until you return to the Citadel."

"Taking shore leave on a ship?" asked Garrus. "That doesn't sound like much fun."

"We're spacer brats," she explained. "More at home on a ship than on the ground. Besides," she said, punching John lightly, "I get to see what all this hype is over my brother."

"I am kind of a big deal," John teased, and she socked him again. Oh, how she had missed him. Letters and vid-comm conversations just didn't add up to what it was like having John around on a daily basis. Two peas in a pod they had been as kids, but their times together had been sparse the past ten years, and Jane always made the most when they had it. True, Johnny had his duties to attend to on the Normandy, but that didn't mean he didn't have down-time.

But Vakarian? **He** would be a distraction. All turians bled blue, but few ran as blue as his clan.

Jane let out low sigh of relief when the elevator stopped to let out Garrus and Tali on the crew deck. The quarian didn't seem to notice, but the former caught her eyes for a brief second before the door closed. Curiosity danced in his gray-blue orbs. _Challenge accepted_, they seemed to say, as if somehow he knew that her thoughts had been on him.

"God, I've missed you, Janie," said John, pulling her into a bone-jarring embrace once the crew was out of sight. She squeezed him back, glad for both the distraction and the affection that only her brother ever seemed to have for her. "I'm glad you're here, but it might be a couple of weeks before we're back on the Citadel."

"Oh, believe me," she replied, pulling back to get a good look at him, "I have about a month of shore leave stored up. Feel free to use up as much of it as you like." He had a few new lines at the corners of his eyes and mouth when he smiled, and Jane imagined that with his new Spectre duties, it wouldn't be long before he started earning a few gray hairs to match. It was the inevitable price of command, and she didn't envy him one bit for it.

"Nah, save some of it. Once this business with Saren is dealt with, we'll kidnap Mom and go somewhere with sunshine and fruity drinks."

"And girls in bikinis?"

"How'd you guess?"

Their laughter drew a few stares from the crew on the CIC deck as the elevator doors opened again. More than a few of them saluted as they walked by on their way to the cockpit, but most openly stared. But it was the helm Jane had her eyes on, and the man in the pilot's chair staring the siblings down.

Jeff Morou had been her surrogate brother at the Academy. He had been a hard-ass at first, hiding from the other flight school students in the library, which is where she had found him one evening while cramming for an exam. He had been scanning the schematics for the Lucas, and when Jane saw what he was doing, she couldn't help but ask if he wanted to see the ship in person. It had taken her months to finally convince him, preaching that since he wasn't letting his disability stop him from serving with the Alliance, then it shouldn't stop him from seeing the prototype spacecraft he seemed to be obsessed with. During that time, they became fast friends, and had kept in touch regularly once they graduated and moved on to their individual assignments.

"Hey, LC!" he said as they approached, swiveling in his chair like an excited toddler. "I never got to thank you for the sweet ride."

"I had nothing to do with this, Joker," she teased, putting her hands on the arms of the seat to cease the movement. Jane wouldn't ask him to get up, and he knew it, so he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her.

"Liar," he whispered in her ear before she leaned back and pecked his cheek.

"Yup," she replied before stepping back. Nearby, someone cleared their throat, and she spared a glance for the man in the co-pilot's seat. Dark hair, dark eyes, and Lieutenant's stripes on his Alliance fatigues. This guy was military to the core, and she immediately slipped into "officer mode." He was starting to stand, but Jane held up a hand before he could salute.

"Put your arm down, LT," she told him. "I'm on shore leave as of ten minutes ago."

"You're still in uniform, ma'am."

"A fact I plan on remedying as soon as possible." Jane put out her hand, hoping to put the poor man's mind at ease. What she wanted was to relax and not have every military crony saluting her at every turn. As hoped, his arm went out, not up, and he smiled as they shook hands.

"Kaidan Alenko."

"Jane Shepard."

"Shep…" he started to say, but one look from John shut him up. "It's, uh, good to have you on board, ma'am."

"None of that 'ma'am' shit, either," she added.

"Alenko, why don't you show Jane to the crew quarters? Her footlocker's already been brought up to one of the spare bunks," interrupted Joker, with a wink for his friend. Jane rolled her eyes and spared a quick glance back in the Lieutenant's direction. The poor man had turned beet red, and she felt a twinge of pity for him. With a sigh, she nodded at Kaidan and took off in the direction they had come from.

"Don't break his heart!" she heard Morou shout at her.

"Not my type!" she shouted back, sparing a sympathetic smile for her escort.

"An inside joke, I take it?" Kaidan asked, attempting to make conversation. He was a touch nervous, but Jane couldn't tell whether it was because of her rank, her family connection to his commander, or just the fact that he obviously found her attractive. A combination of all three seemed the most likely.

"Not really. It's no secret that John and I grew up as military brats. Soldiers, as a general rule, don't have much in the way of modesty, and while I've seen my fair share of attractive human men, I learned early to shut off that part of me that is attracted **to** them."

"The, um, **men** part or…"

"The **human** part."

"Oh."

Jane suppressed a chuckle as Kaidan led her down a set of stairs in stunned silence. The aroma of a hot meal hit them once the doors opened and she inhaled the scent deeply. There was just something about a warship chef that topped every galley on every other boat in the fleet. As she approached the dining hall, she noticed her old mentor, Greg Adams, sitting with Tali and Garrus. And their meal looked horrendous by comparison.

"I'm going to have a word with your requisitions officer over this crap-ass food for the Turians and Quarians," she said as they approached the table. Greg's face nearly split with the size of his smile as he stood to embrace his former colleague.

"I'll have you know, this is the finest dextro-based cuisine the Normandy has to offer," Garrus said in mock offense. Unable to stop herself, Jane grabbed a spare fork from the table and stabbed at one of the brown pasta-like orbs on his plate. Before anyone could say a word, she popped it in her mouth and grimaced. She chewed. And chewed. And finally swallowed, while nearly everyone nearby waited for her reaction.

"That," she finally said, pointing at Garrus's plate, "tastes like it came out of the ass-end of a pyjak. I am **definitely** talking to someone in requisitions about your dining options, Vakarian. Adams, I'll see you bright and ugly tomorrow morning down in Engineering to play catch-up."

As she walked away, Alenko at her heels, she overheard Greg chuckle and tell the others at the table, "Yep, cut from the same cloth, those Shepard kids."

"How is it, exactly, that you're not a writhing mess of hives on the floor of the dining hall?" Kaidan asked as they passed through the row of sleeping pods on their way to the quarters reserved for higher-ranking crew members.

"I have a high tolerance for dextro-based foods. It's part of what got me a spot on the Normandy project."

"And you weren't worried about Garrus blowing his top if you stole off his plate?"

"Oh, believe me," she said with a smile as they entered the room they were searching for, "If Garrus were a typical turian, he wouldn't be on this ship in the first place."

"How do you fig…oh. He's…" Kaidan struggled for words while Jane looked for her foot locker. Someone, probably Joker, bless his heart for knowing her so well, had put her in a top bunk near the back of the room. "**He's** your 'type,' isn't he?"

She wanted to say, _If by "he's my type" you mean I'm attracted to rebellious turian males from high-ranking military and aristocratic families, then the answer is "yes."_ Instead, she raised an eyebrow and turned her lips up into a smirk.

"Well, have fun with that. His bunk's right there." Kaidan pointed to the lower bunk directly across from her own. "I'll let you settle in." A quick scan of her surroundings showed her that there were no other occupied beds on their end of the room, and they would share a small locker and dressing area across the hall.

"Well, played, Joker," she said into her comm.

"I take it you've found your bunk? How do you like it? I hope your neighbor doesn't keep you up at night."

"Fuck you, Joker."

"You're welcome, Janie."

**A/N: As a general rule, I don't like leaving the first chapter hanging around for more than a day or two, so here's a treat for those of you who have already followed/favorited/reviewed. With several active stories, I can't guarantee the next will be up as quickly, but I will do my best. If you haven't already done so, please feel free to poke around my profile and read the other stories to keep you busy while you're waiting. **


	3. Shepard Family Motto

**Chapter Three: Shepard Family Motto**

The soft beep of an omni-tool woke Garrus just enough to cautiously crack open an eye and examine his surroundings. In a rush, it came back to him that Jane had been assigned the space across from his own, and he closed his eyes once again as the soft orange glow was shut off. He heard her groan softly, followed by the sound of her pulling the covers back over her shoulders as she rolled over to go back to sleep. Garrus resisted the urge to chuckle as he realized she had forgotten to turn off her alarm while on leave.

He hadn't shared bunk space with anyone since his service in the turian military, and having Jane in such close proximity was proving to be a bigger distraction than he had expected it to be. Her stunt in the mess hall the afternoon before had thrown everyone for a loop, until Adams and Chokwas explained that she had an extremely high tolerance for dextro-based foods. That was the last he had seen of her all day, but when he crawled into bed that night, Jane was already passed out in the top bunk across from his own.

She had wasted no time in making herself at home on the Normandy. Her clothes had been meticulously put away in the wardrobe locker and a holo of two happy parents and their rambunctious young children hung on the wall next to her bed. She had even brought her own blanket, with a picture of the Whedon and the oddest-looking crew he'd ever seen. _Well,_ Garrus had thought, _the __**second**__ oddest-looking crew._

As he lay there, silently musing over the Normandy's guest, Garrus heard her shuffling around uncomfortably in her bunk. "Oh, fuck it," she whispered, and he opened his eyes to slits just in time to see Jane slide off the edge of the bed and land softly in the space between the bunks. She had slept in nothing but a t-shirt and panties, and Garrus got an unexpected view of…

_Legs. Spirits, that girl's got some nice legs._ Garrus watched as she made her way to the dressing area and strip her top off to hunt for a set of fatigues to change into. Even in the dark, he could see the slight movement of her muscles, more toned than he would give an engineer credit for. He didn't even realize that he had been admiring the backside of his commanding officer's little sister until a quiet hiss escaped his lips and she spun around to face him with a shirt held up to conceal the front view.

Garrus was just as stunned as she was. The attraction had been immediate and unconscious, but he was at a complete loss at what to say. Jane didn't seem to know how to react, either, standing there with wide eyes and clothes pressed against her mostly-nude body. Finally, he looked away, burying his face in a hand out of embarrassment. When he bothered to look up again, she had pulled the curtain closed and he could hear her dressing hastily.

_What the hell just happened_, he asked himself, rolling over to look at the bunk divider behind him. _She's a __**human**__ for crying out loud! They're soft. Fragile. And she's the commander's __**sister**__ of all things!_ Garrus managed to keep himself occupied with his thoughts while Jane quietly snuck out of the crew quarters. Finally, once the door had hissed close on her departure, he let out a sigh of relief and rolled back over to check the time on his own omni-tool.

05:13. In less than an hour, the rest of the crew would be crawling out of bed. Resigning himself to the fact that he wouldn't be getting any more sleep, Garrus silently prayed that Jane hadn't taken herself to the weight room. He had some unexpected frustration to work off.

X

Hours later, Jane found herself belly-up, covered in dirt and grease underneath the Mako. Nobody seemed to have bothered with it after departing from Luna, so she took the task upon herself. Shore leave or not, Jane hated sitting idle. She loved the feel of a wrench in her hand, and it had been keeping her busy while she contemplated what had happened earlier that morning.

She had known Garrus was awake. There was absolutely no way he could have slept through her alarm, which had been quiet enough for the human crew members to ignore, but a turian's ears would have picked up on it immediately. Not turning it off had been her first mistake. Padding around the bunk half naked had been the other.

There had been no indication, absolutely **none**, that Vakarian would find her attractive. It was an oversight on her part to assume that just because ninety percent of turians stuck to their own race that he fell into that particular demographic. But surely if Garrus had a thing for humans, there would have been at least a little bit of buzz about it on the ship that Jane would have overheard. As it was, **she** seemed to be the only one on board with a preference for anyone outside her own species.

"John," she said, pushing a button on the comm speaker and breaking from her thoughts to focus on a trouble spot on the Mako.

"Yeah?" came his reply.

"I'm revoking your driving privileges. The Mako's suspension is a mess."

"There was a mountain in the way."

"Right. Shepard family motto…." Jane started. "'There has to be a harder way,'" they said together. A few nearby crewmembers chuckled at their exchange, including one that was becoming disturbingly familiar. With her concentration broken, she dropped the wrench and cursed.

"Everything ok?" John asked.

"I'm good. I'll catch ya later for lunch."

She cut the comm link as she rolled out from under the vehicle, careful not to collide with the pair of legs that had materialized nearby. Without thinking, Jane took the hand that was offered to help her stand, but it took every ounce of willpower she had not to snap it away once she was up. She eased her fingers out of Garrus' grip and leaned against the vehicle in effort to look relaxed, but she knew he wasn't fooled.

"You're a lot better at hiding your anxiety than most humans," he mentioned quietly. "I'm not sure if I should be flattered or offended."

"It took practice," she confessed. "Turians pick up on a lot of subtleties that humans aren't usually aware of."

"And **you** pick up on a lot of subtleties that most turians aren't aware of." It was a small consolation that Garrus was showing signs of nervousness, too. His hands clasped behind his back. The mandibles on his cheeks twitching. Jane had noticed them, and nodded an affirmation. "I want to apologize. For this morning. It was completely inappropriate for me to…"

"Don't beat yourself up over it, Garrus," she interrupted, trying to reassure him that he had done nothing wrong. "Ship life is like that. Close quarters, half-naked people running around. I just didn't think that you'd…" Jane trailed off, searching for words that would prevent her from putting a foot in her mouth.

"Watch?" he finished for her, and she nodded with relief. "Well, that makes two of us." Jane raised an eyebrow, prompting Garrus to elaborate, which he did after clearing his throat. "Humans never interested me as anything more than colleagues, first with C-Sec and now here on the Normandy," he explained. "But, I guess having a set of bare legs land less than a meter away from my face gave me a different perspective. There's one thing I'm curious about, though," he said, moving in scant inches towards her, testing the boundaries without showing obvious signs to anyone watching. "If you're used to half-naked people running around on a ship, why were you so nervous when you caught me watching?"

"Because I'm **beneath** your interest, Vakarian," she admitted softly, as much to herself as to him. "Yours is one of the oldest lineages on Palaven. It's one thing to be on this ship, helping a Council Spectre chase down a galactic fugitive. It's something else entirely to fool around with an Alliance mechanic just because you think she has a nice ass."

Garrus visibly paled, as if his family's rank hadn't ever crossed his mind as a possible roadblock. But just as swiftly as the shock set in, it faded away and he took a step back. "That's worth some consideration. But how do you know all that? About turians and clan politics?"

Jane closed her eyes, both cherishing and loathing the memories that his question raised. The heat of anger in one turian engineer's eyes whenever he disagreed with her. The icy glare of the lone female who always thought Jane wasn't worthy of the honor of her position. The warmth of Quin's touch, both as a lover and as the only friend she had managed to keep after the Normandy project.

"You don't spend two years of your life in the company of an alien species without learning something about what makes them tick," she replied, opening her eyes and smiling sadly at Garrus. His expression warmed, and he knew that she wasn't going to elaborate. Jane **liked** him, not just because she was attracted to him, but because he was a good man. She would be more than happy adding him to the small circle of friends she had acquired over the term of her service in the Alliance. **If** she could manage to keep her hormones in check.

"Maybe someday you could tell me what it was like," he said. "I'm sure by then I'll have plenty of my own Normandy stories to swap."

"Now **that** I can do," replied Jane, her spirits lifted by his friendly undertones. Sensing that their conversation had come to an end, Garrus nodded in farewell and took off towards the elevator. She watched for a moment as she gathered her tools. The Mako would have to wait until later. The Shepard kids had a lunch date before John's next mission, and Jane found herself in bad need of a cold shower.

* * *

**Thanks for the faves/follows/comments everyone. I'm still in the early stages of this story, and every new reader is appreciated. One thing from the comments that I want to clear up: there is more than one school of specialization in the Alliance military. N7 is a combat class, and the only one mentioned by name in any of the games or wikis. Jane is a mechanical engineer, not a combat engineer, and I took creative liberty by creating the I7 rank for her field.**


	4. Tolerance

**Chapter Four: Tolerance**

It was unsettling, all this rock surrounding him. Garrus found it amusing that he was perfectly fine with the enclosed quarters of transports and ships that could malfunction and crash in a fiery heap. But something about being **under** the surface of the planet with thousands of tons of stone that could come crumbling down around him just didn't sit right with the turian.

The ground had begun to shake as they snaked their way through the tunnels, Shepard, Wrex and himself. By the time they finally reached the controls to release Dr. T'Soni from her imprisonment, the need to see the sky again had all of them scrambling to find the quickest way to it. And Saren's mercenaries certainly hadn't made that process any easier.

"You know, a nice quiet stroll through the ruins of Therum would have been much more to my liking, Shepard," said Garrus, peering out from cover to send a bullet through the neck of a geth unit that had been encroaching on the commander's position. The machine dropped, and he fell back behind the crate to reload. Only the Krogan was left now, and Wrex was wearing that one down with unbridled enthusiasm.

"If you were wanting a walk in the park, I'm sure C-sec would have been happy to assign you to the Presidium." John was trying to make a dash for the elevator controls, but another quake was making it difficult. They heard Wrex grunt, and the two Krogan toppled over in a heap of armor and testosterone. Once everyone regained their footing, their companion stood victoriously, beating his chest in triumph. Shepard was talking to Joker as he punched some buttons on the computer, and Dr. T'Soni was saying something to them all, but it was lost to Garrus as the lift shook its way to the surface.

_Spirits, don't let me die in this place, _he thought, and as soon as he did, the elevator stopped and their way out was before them. He could hear the Normandy's engines humming outside over the roar of the cavern as it began to collapse behind them.

"Move it!" he heard Shepard yell. The asari doctor stumbled in front of Garrus, and he barely had time to lift her back to her feet as his team mates rushed past. He kept his fingers wrapped around her wrist, forcing her to keep pace as they emerged from the dust into the sunlight. They were going to have to make a jump to the ship to avoid falling with the unstable scaffolding, and Garrus said as much when he released her. Dr. T'Soni put on a short burst of speed and launched herself rather ungracefully to the Normandy's docking ramp a split second before Garrus did the same. The crash of metal and rock behind him was the only proof he needed that they had barely made it in time.

"My research!" she cried, and this time it was Wrex who had to peel her from the floor. The Krogan lifted her over his shoulder before she had a chance to run carelessly back in the direction they had come from. The ramp was beginning to close, and Shepard had already made his way to the arms locker.

"It was either that or your life," the Spectre told her casually. Once the shuttle bay way sealed and the Normandy headed away from the dig site, Wrex put the doctor down and began to examine his own armor.

"Yes," she replied, struggling to find her footing as she finally took a good look at the human. "I suppose you're right. Thank you, Commander Shepard."

She was young, by Asari standards, Garrus decided. Liara T'Soni's features were soft, and slightly plump, without the haunted look in her eyes that marked others of her kind who had survived enough centuries to know what horrors a long life exposed them to. She had obviously been very sheltered as a child, but her rumored expertise on the Protheans spoke of a wealthy upbringing that gave her the best possible education. In this fact alone, she reminded Garrus of his own sister, who had always preferred books to guns.

Guilt churned his gut at the thought. It had been a while since he had checked in with his family. Certainly they had heard by now that he was on the Normandy. As the group led Dr. T'Soni to the comm room for mission debrief, Garrus decided that it was high time to make a call home.

X

"I can't believe I hadn't thought of this earlier," Karen Chakwas said as she looked at the data pad Jane had given her. "We've had Garrus and Tali on board for nearly a week now. Knowing what levo-based foods are safe for them to eat will greatly increase their dietary intake."

"I'm just glad they agreed to have the allergy tests done. I'll talk to the procurement officer about getting enough lab supplies to have the rest of the…"

Jane's sentence was cut off by the sound of the med bay doors opening, and the two women turned in unison just as an asari walked in. John had briefly mentioned that she would likely be joining the crew after their mission to Therum, and it looked as if he had been correct in his assumption. The shore team had barely been back two hours, and it appeared that she had already been directed to the med bay. The woman was exhausted, that was clear, but she was also nervous and hesitant to approach.

If there was one race in the galaxy that Jane absolutely loathed, it was the asari. Their haughty _don't hate me because I'm beautiful_ attitude made even the most conceited of human beauty queens look downright humble by comparison. But her problem wasn't just that they were all stunningly gorgeous. The asari were brilliant, and as far as Jane could tell, they had pretty much manipulated the entire galaxy to suit their needs.

"You must be Dr. T'Soni," Chakwas said, rising from her seat to usher the newcomer. She hadn't missed the way Jane had stiffened when the alien had entered the room, and fluidly took control of the situation. "The commander asked me to allow you access to the tech lab."

"Yes, he mentioned that it was quiet and out of the way. I wouldn't want to be a bother…"

"Oh, nonsense. If Commander Shepard considered you bothersome, he wouldn't have come for you in the first place."

"True enough," she replied softly, twisting her fingers together as the medical doctor led the way to the secluded room past the triage area. Jane watched them go, wondering if T'Soni's shyness was an act or if it was genuine. It was a far cry from the behavior she had seen in most others of the blue primadonnas. Shaking her head, she decided to head to the cargo bay to speak with the procurement officer. At the very least, it would be something to take her mind off the confusing mannerisms of the newest crew member.

X

"I knew he wouldn't understand," Garrus said to the screen in front of him. "It doesn't matter that I'm helping track down a barefaced criminal. All he sees is that I had to take a leave of absence from C-Sec to do it."

"Oh, Gar. That's just how he is," his sister, Solana replied, trying to comfort him. "Once you make your mark in history, he'll forgive you."

"Very funny, Sol."

"I'm serious. This business Commander Shepard has with Saren? It's going to be **huge** once you guys get to the bottom of it."

"I just want to do what's right."

"You are doing what's right. And even if Dad doesn't see that now, someday he will. And can we talk about something else? I really hate being stuck in the middle of your fights."

Garrus' mandibles twitched in a smirk. He knew that once his call was over that Solana would be grilled by their father, but if anyone could put the Vakarian patriarch at ease about his mission on the Normandy, she could. "Fair enough," he replied, leaning against the wall more comfortably with the comm screen in his lap. "How's Mom?"

"Busy, as usual. Planning to drag Dad and I along to some state function tonight since I'll be leaving for the Citadel tomorrow. Pestering me about when I'll find a nice boy and settle down to give her grandchildren."

"Yeah, I don't see that happening anytime soon."

"I deflected that particular duty to you. You know, since you're older."

Garrus chuckled at his sister just as the door to the crew quarters opened. "That's even less likely," he replied, listening to the light step indicating his bunk-mate had returned from whatever it was that had kept her busy all day.

"I'll look into your options while I'm on the Citadel," teased Solana. "That way when you get back from chasing traitors around the galaxy I can set you up."

"Who says I don't already have options?" he joked back, watching as Jane rounded the corner of his bed and lean against the frame. She had something in her hand, and he barely caught the glint in her eye before she tossed it to him. The same quick reflexes that made him a good fighter helped him catch it, and it smelled like heaven. He gestured into the vid for Solana to hold up a minute and turned his attention to the human in front of him.

Spirits, but she was beautiful. Their conversation from two days earlier rang in his head every time he was around Jane Shepard, but the longing was still there. They had settled into an immediate and comfortable friendship in spite of their mutual desire, but she was the first and last thought of every day since they had met. The flirting, teasing and playfulness made it bearable, and Garrus couldn't think of a single woman outside of his own family that he had been able to form such a strong attachment to. It was strange, and a bit frightening, but regardless of what role Jane would play in his life, he was glad for it.

"Is it safe?" he asked.

"Yep."

Garrus held the … fruit? … up to his mouth and inhaled deeply. Then, without waiting another moment, bit into it. It was tangy, and juicy, and he instantly decided that Jane couldn't have picked a better thing for him to test his levo-tolerance on. Sparing her a glance, she had partially closed her lids while she watched, but he could still tell that her pupils had dilated beneath her lashes. An idea came to Garrus as he took a second bite and didn't hesitate to put it into action.

"Oh, Spirits!" he choked out, gasping as if he were short of breath. "Dammit! That **burns**!"

"Garrus!" shouted both Jane and Solana, and the human's look of sheer panic caused his heart to race in truth. He couldn't stop the laugh from building up as she rushed towards him, and Jane was on to his prank by the time she reached his side.

"Goddammit, Vakarian!" she exclaimed, grabbing the pillow out from behind his back and pelting him with it.

"Okay, okay! I yield," he said between buffets. Jane stopped her assault and threw the pillow at him one last time for good measure. She stood there for a moment, chest heaving as she got her emotions in check, one hand on her hip, the other rubbing her forehead.

"It's a good thing you're cute," she said before turning on her heel and marching out of the room. Chuckling, Garrus picked the comm unit up from where it had slid off his lap and looked back at his sister's wide-eyed gaze.

"How long have you two been…?" she asked.

"We haven't."

"You're kidding? With that kind of chemistry? If she were turian, I'd have to say it's…"

"Don't say it, Sol. I don't even want to contemplate what that would mean. Dad would kill me."

"No," Solana said matter-of-factually. "He'd disown you. **Mom **would kill you."

"You're probably right," he admitted, taking another bite of the intoxicatingly delicious fruit that Jane had brought him. With nothing else to talk about at the moment, Garrus said his farewells to his sister and finished his snack. His mind wandered to what she had nearly said and wondered if the humans even had any kind of bond like it, then shook the thought out of his mind in frustration. It had been the longest three days of his life, and it would be at least twice again that many before Jane left for her new assignment on the Citadel.

After that? Well, either the desire would fade with distance and he'd have an unexpected friend and confidante. Or he'd be spending his downtime contemplating ways to coax her into bed the next time they met and risk one or both of them getting hurt as an end result. But if Solana was right…

_Spirits, Vakarian_, he thought to himself. _What the hell have you gotten yourself into?_

* * *

**A/N: Not much to say here other than ... Thank you! To all of you who have given this story a comment, a follow, or a favorite as I'm getting it off the ground, I am very grateful. Much more to come. We have an entire trilogy to cover.**


	5. Get a Room

**Chapter Five: Get a Room**

"Holy shit!"

Joker's voice through the comm startled Jane into dropping the barrel of the rifle she was piecing together, which Garrus swiftly caught before it hit the ground. He had asked for her help in going over his weapons, looking for ways to improve their efficiency, but hadn't been accorded much time at the workbench with Ashley Williams hovering over it during all of her spare time. Now that the soldier was on assignment with John, the pair snuck in the opportunity while they had it.

"What happened?" she asked casually, taking the piece back from the turian before clicking it back into place on the sniper rifle in her hand.

"Turn on the vid screen if there's one nearby. I'll patch the Commander's feed in so you can see for yourself."

Doing as he had asked, Jane nearly dropped the entire gun as she took in the sight before her. It was obviously the scene as taken through her brother's visor, and there was quite a bit of jostling and erratic movement from his position in the Mako, but there was no denying what the shore party was up against. Jane and Garrus stood transfixed at what they were watching, their work all but forgotten.

"Is that a thresher maw?" she asked, already knowing the answer but awestruck all the same.

"It sure as hell is," replied Garrus. "Hey, Wrex! You need to come take a look at this," he called out to the Krogan sulking by the crew lockers. Heavy steps in their direction indicated that Wrex's curiosity had been piqued.

"Haha!" the Krogan laughed heartily. "Those damn things are on every shithole planet in the galaxy. Has Shepard come up against one before?"

"Not that I know of," Jane answered. "We lost a friend a few years back when his unit came across one on Akuze, though."

"Mean bastards," agreed Garrus. "And only twice as ugly as Wrex."

"Which makes them half as ugly as you," their Krogan friend replied, picking up on the lighthearted tone of Garrus' comment. Jane gave them half a smile, her attention full on the screen before them. As hard as she tried to play it cool, her heart was beating a hole through her chest at the very real danger her brother was in.

"Johnny, what are you doing?" she asked quietly as the Mako abruptly stopped in the middle of the maw's territory. Jane could tell the ground was shaking as the creature prepared to emerge for another attack. "Jesus fucking Christ, what the hell is he doing?"

Just as the thresher maw began to leap from the rock, the vehicle moved forward a few meters and someone aimed the cannon towards it's open mouth. Jane squeaked, too stunned to truly scream, as a blast was shot down the space worm's throat. Flesh and goo spattered the landscape, and through the comm Jane could hear John's whoop of triumph.

"Um, Jane?"

"Yes, Garrus?"

"While I admire the fact that you have a fairly strong grip, you're cutting off the circulation in my hand."

"What? I…oh…" Jane hadn't even realized that she had wrapped her fingers around his own while watching John battle the thresher maw. Embarrassed, she withdrew her hand, but he took it again and held it up for inspection. Her brother momentarily forgotten, Jane watched as Garrus ran a talon gently across her palm, then touched the tip of each finger lightly before turning it over. He tapped the nail of her index finger, silently pointing out how it appeared shorter than the others.

"It broke a few days ago," she supplied, searching for something, anything, to fill the awkward silence. "I just never got around to cutting the others."

"You keep them short usually?"

"As a general rule, yes. I work with my hands. If I grew them out, they'd just break anyhow."

Garrus had yet to release her hand. Or she had yet to pull it away. That strange sexual tension they had been trying to avoid came creeping back, and neither was sure how to deal with it this time around. Every instinct told Jane to drag Garrus to bed. But she was too careful to allow that to happen. And…they had an audience.

"Oh, get a room!" Wrex teased before walking away, his chuckle rumbling through the cargo bay. Like a flash, Jane and Garrus took a step away from each other, busying themselves on the workbench.

"I've, ah…I've got to finish calibrating the rifle," the turian said, his mandibles twitching with embarrassment as the subharmonics in his voice gave away his suppressed desire.

"And I should see about having something put together in the galley for when the team gets back," Jane replied, her own sudden bashfulness coming into play as she sought an excuse to find some breathing room. "I'll uh…see you later."

And with the Thresher Maw incident completely forgotten, Jane beat a hasty retreat to the elevator.

X

Garrus kept up the pretense of making adjustments to his rifle right up until the elevator door closed and Jane was out of sight. As soon she was, he took a deep breath, then slammed his palm against the workbench in frustration. He could still feel her hand in his own, how Jane had slipped her fingers between his, knowing where to fit them together without giving it any conscious thought in her moments of worry for John. They had been doing so well about working around their mutual attraction, and that simple action had brought it front and center to his attention.

He wanted to get to know her. To learn about her work on the Normandy, what it had been like growing up as an Alliance military kid. Her favorite place to visit, her favorite food, her first love. He wanted to learn every secret she'd ever had. And if he couldn't in good faith ask her brother, Garrus knew there was someone else on the ship who **would** know.

He was halfway to the bridge before realizing that he had gotten into the elevator while his mind was racing with thoughts of Jane. It wasn't completely bizarre for him to be there. He'd spoken with Joker several times in the mess hall and had developed a good rapport with the pilot. Perhaps it was time to act like a real member of the team and venture out around the ship a bit. At least, he could make it seem that way.

"So was the pilot's seat a Turian design?" Joker asked as Garrus slid into the non-essential co-pilot's chair.

"No, I'm pretty sure that was made for a human's ass to sit in," he returned, keeping the tone light. "You'll have to bitch at Jane if it's uncomfortable."

"No, she wouldn't have had any part in all the crap that makes a ship a home to her crew. Nuts and bolts, Vakarian. She likes to figure out how to make things move."

"Yeah, I've seen her down in the cargo bay working on the Mako. She's probably going to kill Shepard when he gets back."

"Oh, man, you have **no** idea. And she didn't design the damn thing. I just know that if anything happens to my baby, it will be **my** ass in a sling." Joker patted the instrument panel affectionately. This pilot loved his ship. "Now cut the bullshit, Garrus. What do you want to know about her?"

Garrus hid his surprise behind a cough. "Her?"

"Oh, please. But since you **think** you're being smooth about it, I'll give you one for free. She's been with two men since I first met her, and one before that. **Two** of those guys were Turian. I put her in that bunk to fuck with her head, but I never..." Joker started chuckling, then turned to look at Garrus. "God, I never in a million years thought you'd... That it would be..."

"Mutual?" Garrus supplied, and the pilot's grin faded.

"Yeah. Does the Commander know that you want to shag his little sister?"

"No."

"Then I'll save you the hassle and tell you the same thing you'll hear from him."

"The 'If you hurt her, I'll kill you' speech? Don't bother. I have a little sister, too."

"Then we understand each other?"

"If I wasn't worried about hurting her, I wouldn't have bothered coming to you."

"Fair enough. But Garrus?" All traces of teasing had been wiped from Joker's face. "Don't make her wait too long. We may not all be soldiers, but we are all military here. We know we signed our lives on the dotted line when we enlisted."

Understanding clicked in his head as soon as he heard the words. Garrus knew he would have to make a decision about Jane soon. He only hoped it would be the right one.

* * *

_**A/N: I know, I know. It's been a while. For those of you who have been following this and any of my other stories, the muse is slowly returning. I can't promise I'll have a new chapter within the next few weeks, but it certainly won't be five months again. Keep an eye on my other story, "The Amell Chronicles," since I've been immersed in Dragon Age: Inquisition lately and will be working primarily on that one. Thanks for sticking with me! Keep checking my author page. I'll be back as soon as I can with another update.**_


	6. Options

Chapter Six: Options

Jane stood in the cargo bay, solemnly standing watch as the Alliance supply team unloaded the crates that had accompanied her on the journey to the Citadel. Beside her, John spoke quietly with the requisitions officer, but his eyes, like her own, kept slipping to the sleek silver coffin that waited for the funeral guard to arrive.

It hadn't been a planned stop. John wasn't expected to return to the Citadel for three more days, but the information he found, along with the Admiral's body, needed to be brought to both the Council and the Alliance. And it wasn't the kind of news that could be delivered through a vid screen.

"Shepard!" Both siblings snapped to attention when General Anderson stepped on board, but the old marine waved off the formality and gave a weak smile for the pair. "Two for the price of one. LC, it's damn good to see you again. How's your baby holding up?"

"Exceeding my expectations, sir," Jane replied, taking the hand he offered and accepting the congratulatory handshake he had promised her when the Normandy project had been completed.

"I knew she would. Can't wait to see what you'll be drawing up for us next," he added with a wink. If she had wondered how far into the chain of command her new project went, Jane did so no longer. "The first session is in four days, but you're technically still on leave until then so I'll leave you to it. Commander?"

Anderson nodded at John, and the men walked towards the remains of Admiral Kahoku. With a heavy sigh and a roll of her shoulders, Jane looked out past the Normandy to the Citadel wards in the distance. At least the few extra days would give her a chance to navigate the place she would be calling home for the eighteen months.

"You off to the new digs?" Joker asked, coming up from behind her along with Kaidan and Ashley.

"Yup."

"Sweet. We'll swing by around seven, then."

Puzzled, she looked over at him, but then it hit her. Jane had promised that when they got to the Citadel, she would let Joker and some of the other Alliance crew members take her out. Silently, she nodded at the three of them, and grabbed her duffel. But she hadn't even gotten ten steps away before Joker called out again.

"Jane, listen," he started more softly when he caught up, alone this time. "I know you worked a little with Kahoku on the Normandy project. If you'd rather have a night to yourself..."

"I'm going to have plenty enough of those in my future, Jeff," she reassured him, her smile weak but sincere.

"Ok, but what about your um..._other_ options?"

"My other wha...oh." She saw where the direction of her friend's gaze was pointed and flushed. Garrus was there, making small-talk with one of the C-Sec officers and doing an absolutely horrible job of acting casual while he waited for her. Joker chuckled, and Jane turned her face back towards her friend. "I can't afford that option right now."

"But you're thinking about it."

"I am," she admitted, leaning over and giving him a peck on the cheek. "But I already have plans tonight. With you and whoever else got roped into it."

"Glad to hear I rank higher than a piece of a...ahh...I mean, see you at seven?" The glare she started to give him faded when Joker changed his tune, and Jane nodded again. This time with more meaning behind the gesture. Satisfied that he was happier with her response, she made her way towards the dock once more.

Jane didn't stop when she passed by Garrus and his friend, but instead gave him a playful wink as their eyes met. Taking a few more steps, she turned her head back to see if he would follow and was not disappointed. After giving her attention back to the path in front of her, it wasn't long before the turian fell in step next to her.

"So, this thing, with us," he started cautiously, pausing only long enough to get through the body scanner at the security checkpoint. "It's not just my imagination, is it?"

"No," Jane replied, suddenly wishing he had brought up anything else but the one topic they actually needed to talk about. "But I haven't really figured out what to do with it yet."

"Me, either. If it were just a simple attraction, that's easy enou..."

"But it's not, Garrus," she interrupted, pausing in the middle of the walkway to check her nav-point. The elevator she needed was at the end of the next hall. It was a long hall. And it was going to be a long elevator ride if he insisted on escorting her all the way to the Alliance military apartments. "I want to say it started out that way, but I don't really believe that. We could have fucked in every corner and cubbyhole on that ship, and we'd **still** be having this conversation right now."

Her statement stunned him for a moment, and while he stood to process it, Jane moved forward. She was irritated. Not with Garrus, but with herself, for finally realizing that while she was trying desperately to avoid getting emotionally attached, she had gone and done it anyway.

He caught up to her just as she reached the lift, radiating frustration. But he said nothing. Garrus simply stood there next to Jane and quietly seethed. When the doors opened and they walked on together, other passengers gave them a wide berth as they passed through to the back of the compartment. At the first stop, most got off and a few more got on. Again at the second, but at the third stop, when the doors closed, they had the elevator to themselves.

"You have something to say?" she snapped, dropping her duffel and turning up to confront him.

"Yeah," he growled, but it wasn't words Garrus used on her. Grabbing a fistful of her hair, he pressed Jane against the wall, molding his body against hers. Lightning hot need coursed through her blood at the contact, and she grabbed at his hips as he buried his face in the hollow of her throat. Garrus nipped at the pulse-point near her collarbone, licked a trail up the side of her neck, then nuzzled Jane's earlobe.

"I could fuck you in every corner and cubbyhole on this space station, and it **still** wouldn't be enough," came his admission, voice low and humming with desire. And just as swiftly as he had grabbed her, Garrus pulled back, holding her at arm's length and facing Jane towards the door. She stood, stunned and aroused as the lift slowed, then stopped. And as the doors opened, he came up behind her, sliding her ruck-sack back over her shoulder and pressing his mouth against her neck one last time.

"I want you to be mine, Jane Shepard," he whispered before giving her a gentle shove into the foyer, ignoring the stares from the passengers waiting to board. When Jane finally turned around to face him,the elevator doors were closing, and his mandibles twitched with amusement.

_Oh, Garrus_, she thought as lift carried him away, _I think I already am._

* * *

The ship was quiet in the early hours of the morning. With most of the crew on shore for a few more hours, the constant hum of computers and murmur of voices was missing from the Normandy, and Garrus was thankful for it. They hadn't been there to witness his fitful night trying to rest while the scenario with Jane repeated itself.

There were a thousand ways to have handled it better. Or worse, if he was being honest with himself. Logic warring with desire, allowing his emotions to slip through. But in the end, he had let her go.

"Don't you have an apartment?"

John Shepard's voice carried from across the room, and Garrus realized that he had been brooding over his breakfast. The Commander was making his way towards the kitchen, and the little machine that made the morning brew so many of the humans coveted. Including Jane, he remembered with a low groan.

"I couldn't afford to get side-tracked with C-Sec business, so I just came back here."

"Yeah, I hear ya," John replied sympathetically. "I always seem to get roped into someone else's business if I stray too far from the Normandy."

"I guess you just have one of those faces," Garrus joked, having seen firsthand how people were naturally drawn to the human. John laughed, the sound ringing rich and clear from the walls of the mess hall.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. Doesn't leave me much time for a social life, though."

"Got a girl waiting back home?" he dared to ask.

"No home, and no girl to go back to. I spend most of my time on ships, so there's no time to put down roots and entertain...company," Shepard replied with a wink.

"Oh, I'm sure you could find plenty of company right here," came the turian's suggestion. "I think you're the only one who doesn't see how many sets of eyes are set on you when you enter a room."

"Oh, I see them, Garrus," confessed John, pouring a cup and making his way across the room. "But I'm the commanding officer. That makes things a little more difficult." Garrus didn't mention that he wasn't, technically, Liara's CO, and that the shy asari scholar practically hero-worshiped the Commander. The same went for Tali, but it was more difficult to read the quarian behind the bio-suit.

"What about you?" John's question caught him off guard, and Garrus stared at him dumbfoundly. "You have a girlfriend waiting back on Palaven?"

"Not exactly," replied the turian, giving his plate more attention that it deserved.

"A boyfriend?" Garrus nearly choked on his bite, knowing full well he had walked right into that question with his vague response to the first. When he finally got control of himself, John was watching him, amusement painted clearly on his face.

"There's a girl," came his confession, deciding that the truth, with certain details left out, would be the best option. "She's here. On the Citadel. And it's...complicated." **That** was putting it mildly, considering Jane was the Commander's sister. "We're still trying to figure things out."

John gave Garrus a sympathetic clap on the shoulder and smiled. "Is she worth it?"

"If she wasn't, I wouldn't have stayed on the Normandy last night," he said honestly. Satisfied with the answer, Commander Shepard gave Garrus a nod, then went along his way, coffee mug in hand.

The conversation left a knot of guilt in Garrus' gut, but he had told Shepard the truth. Jane **was** worth it, but right now the complications needed time to be smoothed out before he could bring anything substantial to her brother. Garrus just hoped, when the time came that he and Jane had figured things out, his new friend would understand.


End file.
